Thank
you for inviting me to the 25th anniversary of Feminists for Life of America.
This truly is a special evening.

I would like
to take this opportunity to congratulate this group for their efforts
to seek true equality for all human beings. Your mission has been clear
and consistent and your voice is critical in our communities.

Twenty-three
years ago, the Supreme Court removed a God-given, unalienable right from
unborn babies, a right it has the duty to secure and protect. In doing
so, it elevated a "judge-made" right, the right of a person's privacy,
above the god-given right to life.

It has always
been my belief that unborn children should be cherished, and abortion
for the convenience of the mother is contrary to convictions that mean
a great deal. I believe the life of an unborn child is to be respected
as truly as the life of a new born.

As you know,
our system of laws is based on the idea that people have certain God-given
rights. Those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Those rights existed before laws were established. We must never forget
this.

I believe that
if the Supreme Court continues to uphold the wrong decision made in Roe
v. Wade, Congress should enact laws that would disallow abortion, except
in very extreme circumstances. At the very least, Congress should prohibit
the government from funding abortion. However, before we can pass laws
forbidding abortion, we must change the dynamic of the debate by educating
the American public to favor the protection of life at its natural beginning
-- the point of conception. I think that when all Americans, including
many women who are confused about this issue, begin to realize the serious
ramifications of abortion, they will strongly support the need to protect
the sanctity of life.

I am happy to
report that the House passed and I supported H.R. 1122, legislation to
ban a specific abortion procedure used in the second and third trimesters
of pregnancy. The vote to ban so-called partial-birth abortions was 295-136
-- more than the two-thirds needed to override a promised veto from President
Clinton, and more than the bill garnered in three separate votes in 1995
and 1996. H.R. 1122 has exposed to the general public just what abortion
is all about -- the blatant disregard and brutal destruction of human
life -- and it's now up to the Senate.

Partial-birth
abortion is cold, grizzly murder. This type of procedure has been used
on babies who are four and a half months in the womb.

Partial-birth
is not a legitimate medical procedure. Doctors at the Metropolitan Medical
clinic in New Jersey say that only a minuscule amount of the 1,500 partial-birth
abortions they perform are for medical reasons.

As you may know
leading abortion-rights advocates lied during debate over "partial-birth
abortions." Ron Fitzsimmons, the executive director of the national Coalition
of Abortion Providers, intentionally misled the public. He admittingly
"lied through his teeth" in a November 1995 interview for ABC's "Nightline."
Ron Fitzsimmons felt that the truth about this gruesome procedure would
hinder the abortion rights campaign.

Since 1993, abortion
supporters and opponents have been engaged in a vicious public relations
war over the procedure, with abortion foes using grisly illustrations
to tap Americans' general discomfort with late term abortions.

My position in
representing the people of Idaho has been guided by the conviction that
abortion is wrong and should only be considered in cases of criminal rape,
incest, or when the mother's life is in imminent danger. I am committed
do all I can to protect our unborn children.

We must continue
to stand firm and ensure justice and equality for all human beings.

Again,
thank you for this opportunity. This truly is an honor for me to be here
with you all this evening.

Sources: Speech
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